JP2003194493A - Cleaning device for radiator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system capable of cleaning (removing a deposit such as an insect and dust) easily and simply a radiator cooled by the outside air passing through a core. <P>SOLUTION: In this cleaning device, a backwash nozzle 5 for blowing compressed air from a rear side of the radiator 3 toward the core is arranged in a vehicle provided with the radiator 3 cooled by the outside air passing through the core, and a spring brake system 12 for parking. The backwash nozzle 5 is connected to a discharge port of a valve 7 for supplying and discharging the compressed air of a spring brake chamber 8a for the parking. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning device for a radiator (radiator etc.) mounted on a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a vehicle, in addition to a radiator of a water-cooled engine, a radiator such as a condenser of an air conditioner and an intercooler for cooling supercharged air is mounted. There is also seen an example in which these radiators are arranged in three layers from the intake of outside air in front of the cooling fan driven by the engine.

In the case of a radiator, in order to improve the cooling performance as the output of the engine increases, the radiating area of the core is expanded, so that the meandering pitch of the radiating fins formed between the pipes through which the cooling water passes is set small. When the outside air passes, insects, dust, etc. tend to adhere to the front surface of the core, and the core may become clogged (between the meandering pitches of the heat radiation fins may be blocked), resulting in a decrease in cooling performance. Becomes higher. Therefore, as a current countermeasure, there is a device in which a net is attached to the outside air intake.

[0004]

Although the net catches insects and dust and prevents clogging between the meandering pitches of the cooling fins, the net is regularly used in order to maintain a good outside air passage amount. There is a problem that it is troublesome because maintenance such as cleaning (remove adherents such as insects and dust) is required.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and cleaning of the radiator (removal of adherents such as insects and dust) can be performed easily and easily without burdening the operator. The purpose is to provide a system that can.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle including a radiator cooled by outside air passing through a core,
A backwash nozzle for blowing compressed air from the rear of the radiator toward the core is arranged, while a valve for turning on / off the supply of compressed air to the nozzle is provided.

A second aspect of the present invention is intended to blow compressed air from the rear of the radiator toward the core in a vehicle including a radiator cooled by the outside air passing through the core and a parking spring brake system. While the backwash nozzle is arranged, the backwash nozzle is connected to the exhaust port of the valve for supplying and discharging the compressed air in the spring brake chamber for parking.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the valve turns on the supply of compressed air, the backwash nozzle blows the compressed air supplied from the valve onto the core from the rear of the radiator. This compressed air allows core deposits (insects, dust, etc.)
Will be blown away, and a clean state without clogging will be obtained. The deposits on the core tend to be deposited on the front surface facing the flow of the outside air, and can be efficiently removed by the backwashing action of the compressed air blown out from the nozzle arranged behind the radiator.

It is desirable that such a cleaning process is carried out while the vehicle is stopped (when there is no running wind or outside air forcedly taken in by the cooling fins) rather than when the vehicle is running. An air tank of the brake system installed in the vehicle is assumed as a source of compressed air. The valve may be configured to turn on / off the supply of compressed air to the nozzle in response to an operation of an operator, and when a predetermined condition (for example, when the vehicle is stopped) is established, the supply of compressed air to the nozzle is performed. Automatically on-
It may be configured to turn off.

In the second invention, when the parking brake is actuated, the valve switches to the exhaust side.
Compressed air in the spring brake chamber is supplied to the nozzle via a valve and blown from behind the radiator towards its core. This backwashing effect of the compressed air has the same effect as the first aspect of the invention, and the compressed air exhausted from the spring brake chamber through the valve is effectively used for cleaning the radiator, so that it is compressed only for cleaning. Since the air is not consumed, the power of the engine that drives the compressor is not lost for cleaning the radiator, and the fuel efficiency of the vehicle can be excellently secured. In addition, the valve of the existing spring brake system is also used, and the cleaning system of the radiator can be realized at a low cost by the simple configuration in which the backwash nozzle is connected to the exhaust port.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the outline of a system, in which a water-cooled engine 2 and its radiator 3 (radiator) are mounted on the front part of a chassis frame 1. A cooling fan 4 forcibly taking in outside air is arranged behind the radiator 3, and a backwash nozzle 5 for blowing compressed air toward the core of the radiator 3 is arranged between the fan 4 and the radiator 3.

The core of the radiator 3 is composed of a pipe through which cooling water flows and cooling fins interposed between the pipes at a predetermined meandering pitch. The backwash nozzle 5 has a nozzle hole from the rear of the radiator 3 to the core. It is set so that compressed air can be efficiently blown between the pipes (cooling fins).

In the case of FIG. 2, the nozzle 5 comprises a plurality of pipes 5 arranged along the cooling fins (between pipes) of the core.
a (arranged so as to be along the pipe of the core because it may give a resistance to the flow of outside air if they face each other) and a pipe 5b forming these collecting portions. A large number of injection holes are opened toward the space between the core pipes. One end of the tube 6 is connected to the pipe 5b, and the other end of the tube 6 is connected to the exhaust port of the valve 7.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 8 is a spring brake for parking, and these chambers 8a have valves 7a and 7b.
Is connected to the air tank 9 via. When the compressed air is supplied from the air tank 9 to the chamber 8a via the valve 7, the spring brake 8 expands the chamber 8a to compress the spring 8b to the brake release state, while the compressed air in the chamber 8a causes the valve 7 to be released. When it is opened (exhausted) through the spring, the spring 8b expands into the brake operating state while contracting the chamber 8a. Reference numeral 10 represents a front wheel, and 11 represents a rear wheel.

When the parking brake lever in the driver's cab is operated to the brake operating position, the valve 7 is set in the chamber 8a.
When the parking brake lever in the driver's cab is operated to the brake release position, the compressed air is switched to the exhaust side which releases the compressed air, and the compressed air is switched to the air supply side which supplies the compressed air from the air tank 9 to the chamber 8a. The backwash nozzle 5 arranged behind the radiator 3 is connected to the exhaust port of the valve 7 via a tube 6.

When the parking brake is operated based on such a configuration, the valve 7 is switched to the exhaust side, so that the compressed air in the spring brake chamber 8a is supplied to the nozzle 5 via the valve 7 and the rear side of the radiator 3. Is blown from the core toward the core.

The compressed air blows off the deposits (insects, dust, etc.) on the core, and a cleaning state without clogging can be obtained. The deposits on the core are likely to be deposited on the front surface opposed to the flow of the outside air, and can be efficiently removed by the backwashing action of the compressed air blown out from the nozzle 5 from the rear of the radiator 3.

In the parking spring brake system 12, the compressed air in the chamber 8a, which is exhausted through the valve 7 when the brake is actuated (released to the atmosphere in the prior art), is effectively used for cleaning the radiator 3. Therefore, since the compressed air in the air tank 9 is not consumed exclusively for cleaning, the power of the engine 2 that drives the compressor is not lost in cleaning the radiator 3, and the fuel consumption of the vehicle can be ensured excellently. Further, the valve 7 of the existing spring brake system is also used, and the cleaning system of the radiator 3 can be realized at a low cost by a simple configuration in which the backwash nozzle 5 is connected to the exhaust port thereof.

When the vehicle is not equipped with the spring brake system 12 for parking, a valve dedicated for cleaning is provided to turn on / off the supply of compressed air to the backwash nozzle 5 arranged at the rear of the radiator 3. In FIG.
The valve 7 of the spring brake system is replaced with a valve (opening / closing valve) dedicated to cleaning, and the valve 7 is inserted in the passage connecting the nozzle 5 to the air tank 9.

The cleaning-dedicated valve may be constructed so as to turn on / off the supply of compressed air to the nozzle 5 in accordance with an artificial operation, and the valve may be operated under a predetermined condition (for example, running wind or cooling fins forcedly). (During a stop with no outside air flow)
When the above is satisfied, the supply of compressed air to the nozzle 5 may be automatically turned on / off.

Even in this case, when the valve for exclusive use of cleaning turns on the supply of compressed air, the backwash nozzle 5 blows the compressed air supplied from the valve for exclusive use of cleaning from the rear of the radiator 3 to the core. By the backwashing action, the deposits on the core are blown off, and a cleaning state without clogging is obtained.

Although not shown, the backwash nozzle 5 has a plurality of injection holes (arranged around the rear of the radiator) in a wind tunnel (shroud) surrounding the radiator 3 and the cooling fan 4. And an annular pipe forming these gathering parts are assembled, and compressed air supplied to the annular pipe is blown from each injection hole toward the core of the radiator 3 (cooling fin between the pipes). May be.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an outline of a system.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a nozzle (a left side is a front view, and a right side is a side view thereof).

[Explanation of symbols]

3 radiator 4 cooling fan 5 backwash nozzle 6 tubes 7 valves (supply / discharge valve) 8 spring brakes 8a Spring brake chamber 9 Air tank 12 Spring brake system

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] January 31, 2002 (2002.1.3
1)

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be amended] Title of invention

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Patent application title: Cleaning device for radiator

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. In a vehicle having a radiator cooled by outside air passing through a core, a backwash nozzle for blowing compressed air from the rear of the radiator toward the core is arranged while compressed air to the nozzle is A radiator cleaning device comprising a valve for turning the supply on and off. 2. A vehicle provided with a radiator cooled by outside air passing through a core and a spring brake system for parking, comprising a backwash nozzle for blowing compressed air from the rear of the radiator toward the core. On the other hand, the radiator cleaning device is characterized in that a backwash nozzle is connected to an exhaust port of a valve that supplies and discharges compressed air in a spring brake chamber for parking.